


Family Snapshot

by TomatoBookworm



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Gen, Lincoln Campbell Lives, Original Child Character(s) - Freeform, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25986796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomatoBookworm/pseuds/TomatoBookworm
Summary: The bedsheets shifted around her, and Daisy buried her face into the giant body pillow.“Nooo, sleep.”“It’s okay,” Lincoln said as he got under the covers and tucked the blanket around her shoulders. “Go back to sleep.”That woke her up. If it’s early enough for him to come back to bed, why was he up in the first place?
Relationships: Lincoln Campbell/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 20
Kudos: 45
Collections: AOS AU August 2020





	Family Snapshot

**Author's Note:**

> For the lovely Florchis, who prompted: “Daisy is pregnant and May takes her shopping for baby clothes?” 
> 
> Also for AoSFicNet2 AU August, domestic AU. 
> 
> Thank you 26stars/ @loved-the-stars-too-fondly for the name suggestion Elijah! 
> 
> As with majority of my Lincoln Lives AU fics, this one can be considered to be set in the We Need to Work on Ourselves universe, but it’s not necessary to read that first.

The bedsheets shifted around her, and Daisy buried her face into the giant body pillow. 

“Nooo, sleep.”

“It’s okay,” Lincoln said as he got under the covers and tucked the blanket around her shoulders. “Go back to sleep.”

That woke her up. If it’s early enough for him to come back to bed, why was he up in the first place?

“Everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” Lincoln yawned in the dark. “Maddie woke up crying because she dropped her lovey.” 

“Was she really upset?”

“She’s fine.” Lincoln reached an arm towards Daisy and patted her shoulder. “By the time I walked in, she was holding her palm out between the crib slats, like she was trying to quake Fluffy up from the floor. Stared at me when I picked Fluffy up with my actual fingers.”

“Probably because she likes the sparks.” Drowsy Lincoln tended to use his hand as a flashlight. Their kids would never be afraid of haunted houses because floating blue lights meant he’s around. “Did she wake Damian and Josie?”

“No, they’re both asleep when I checked on them,” Lincoln said. “They’re used to the sound of a toddler crying by now.”

“Just in time to adjust to a baby crying.” Daisy’s hand went to her belly. They didn’t plan for a big family, but when Damian and Josie, whose parents died in Lash’s rampage, lost their grandparents almost two years ago, she and Lincoln couldn’t let them go to the orphanage. “Do you think we can really handle four kids? I didn’t even hear Maddie.”

“Five. Just because Elijah is off to college doesn’t mean we are not responsible for him. He asked me yesterday if he can spend the summer here instead of at his parents.”

“Of course he can. And by that standard we have a lot more than five.” 

They’ve informally kept an eye on all the children with known Inhuman heritage. S.H.I.E.L.D. made sure the adults know to keep seafood away and have a number to call in case of accidental Terrigeneis. Lincoln went a step beyond and gave all the preteens and teenagers his personal contact information. Some kids needed guidance more than others. 

“We do.” Lincoln’s fingers found hers, and they rested their hands on Daisy’s belly, feeling the baby kick. “We’ve been doing fine so far. I’ll scale back on work for the first year like I did with Maddie. Our junior medical staff all took Jemma’s Inhuman biology course at the Academy, so now I don’t have to personally supervise every time an Inhuman has a cold. Plus you know Coulson and May can’t wait to play with the new grandkid. They will be glad to babysit if we need help. We’ll be okay.”

True. She had been happy for Coulson and May when they retired to Tahiti, but she was ecstatic when they decided to move back home. Home being a white picket-fenced little suburban house that’s better fortified than a castle and within driving distance of the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. When Daisy and Lincoln first decided to move off base and start adding children to their family, buying the house next door to Coulson and May was the logical step. 

Daisy yawned. They already discussed all this before they decided to have another baby, but parenthood meant questions and self doubt were always recurring. Hearing Lincoln’s reassurances made her happy, and sleepy. 

“I’m glad we’re doing this,” Daisy mumbled. “Can’t wait till I can hug you without the belly and this support pillow between us, but I am glad we are having a baby.”

“Me too.” 

Lincoln leaned over the giant pillow and kissed her forehead. His hand remained in hers, warm and steady. Daisy drifted back into sleep. 

When she woke up again, Lincoln’s side of the bed was empty. She could hear children’s voices in the distance. Daisy dragged herself to the bathroom first because yay, baby foot on the bladder. She then brushed her teeth, put on a robe, and went to investigate. 

She found Lincoln in the kitchen with the kids. Little Madeline was strapped into her high chair, giggling as Josie set the table, holding each fork high up in the air and making airplane noises. Damian was whisking together the pancake mix. At fourteen years old, he took his role as the kitchen helper seriously. 

Lincoln smiled at her from in front of the stove, “Good morning.”

“Morning.” Daisy went over and kissed him. “You should have woken me when the kids got up. You didn’t sleep well last night.”

“You haven’t slept well in months,” Lincoln pointed out. “I want you to get as much rest as possible on your day off. How are you feeling?” 

“Starving.” She picked up the plates of scrambled eggs and bacon on the counter. “Can you put blueberries in the pancakes too?” 

“Of course.”

Daisy brought the food over to the table. One of the many modifications they made when they bought the house was to open up the wall between the dining room and the kitchen. There was no such thing as formal entertaining in their house, but they could easily sit a dozen people around the large table. Maddie babbled happily at the sight of Daisy. Josie grinned at her too. 

“Aunt Daisy! Mrs. Hinton called and asked if I want to go over for a play date. Uncle Lincoln said he needs to check with you. Please, can I go?” 

“Let me check with Uncle Lincoln.” Daisy looked over at her husband. “What time?”

“Polly said any time is fine. Robin really wants to see Josie.” They were all a little protective of Robin, afraid that her powers would be similar to her father’s and that accidental Terrigenesis would break her. As a result, Polly claimed Robin had a serious seafood allergy and kept a sharp eye on all playdates and outside excursions. Children could be cruel. Other adults could be weary of liability. As a result, Robin’s best friend was Josie, another Inhuman child who understood the need to be careful. 

“You’re taking Damian to baseball practice later, right?” Daisy mentally went through their weekend schedule. “I’ll call Polly and see if you can drop Josie off on your way, then Maddie and I will run some errands. The baby store called yesterday and said the double stroller we ordered came in.”

“Do you want to wait until I can go with you?” Lincoln asked as he walked over with stacks of pancakes. “Maddie wants to walk everywhere on her own now. It will be difficult to hold her hand and push a double stroller at the same time. Quaking the stroller from store to car will probably void the warranty.”

“I’ll ask May to come with me,” Daisy said. “She can stare down anyone who tries to pet Maddie. It’s getting harder for me to kick people in the balls.” 

“Aunt Daisy!” Damian said in his most adultlike voice. “We call them testicles. Besides, men and women are equally likely to try touching Maddie’s hair or pinching her cheeks. It’s much more effective to step on their toes.” 

Daisy nudged Lincoln as he began serving everyone pancakes, “You gave the ‘proper names for body parts’ talk at school again, didn’t you?”

“It was to the baseball team,” Lincoln said as he placed a pancake on her plate. The blueberries were arranged in the shape of a flower. A daisy. “And you are responsible for the annual children’s self-defense seminar.” 

“You’re welcome to join me any time,” Daisy grinned at him. “I can show them how to pin down someone bigger and taller.”

“Mmm, I’d love that.” Lincoln kissed her cheek and whispered against her ear. “But I don’t know if we can keep it kid-friendly.”

“Eww!” Josie had recently entered the kissing-was-yucky stage. “Uncle Lincoln! Aunt Daisy!”

“Kissing is a normal expression of affection,” Damian said in his superior older brother’s voice. “Don’t be a baby.”

“I’m not a baby!” Josie yelled. 

“Baby!” Maddie echoed while pointing at Daisy’s belly. 

As the breakfast table descended into its normal chaos, Daisy and Lincoln grinned at each other. It was a good morning. 

* * *

  
  
  


Daisy was still smiling when she met Coulson and May outside later. It was a little quieter after Lincoln left with Damian and Josie, but Maddie was babbling in typical 2-year-old fashion. 

“PóPó.” Maddie walked over to May and held open her palm, showing the flower inside. “Huā.”

“Maddie’s picking flowers from the garden and she wants everyone to have one,” Daisy pointed at the bloom in her own hair. “She saved the prettiest one for you.”

May half kneeled down to Maddie’s eye level and began an earnest conversation. Normally Daisy’s Mandarin was good enough to follow their dialogue, but Maddie had picked up a few Cantonese terms during Lian’s visit last week. She could only tell some sort of bargaining was taking place. 

The conversation ended with May standing up and tucking the flower behind Coulson’s ear. She was smirking as she switched to English for Coulson. 

“Maddie would like you to keep this flower safe for me while we are out. Do you think you can do that?”

Coulson didn’t even blink, “Of course I can.” 

“It does match your shirt,” Daisy commented. Coulson had picked up way too many floral shirts in Tahiti. “Shall we?”

The drive to the baby store was thankfully short. Sitting in a car for long periods of time was starting to be uncomfortable. Daisy went to the counter while May took Maddie’s hand. 

Purchase complete, Daisy turned around and had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. May had picked up a shopping basket, which was currently filled to the brim. 

“Maddie, remember what Mommy and Daddy said. You can’t ask PóPó or Grandpa Coulson to buy everything in the store for you whenever we go out with them.” 

“It’s not only for her,” May said. “The baby should have new things too.”

It’s a good point. Technically they didn’t need anything. S.H.I.E.L.D. had an entire pool of baby gear, started by Davis and his wife, then restocked by Fitz and Jemma, Mack and Elena, and most recently Daisy and Lincoln themselves. Even with Jemma’s rigorous pruning and only passing down things in pristine conditions, there were enough clothes and toys for a child from birth to two. Lincoln and Daisy bought some items as needed, such as the double stroller, but they haven’t done any frivolous shopping for the baby yet. Daisy considered herself frugal, but she also remembered her orphanage days too well to want her children to dress entirely in secondhand clothes. 

“Okay, let’s see what we have.” 

What they had were way, way too many outfits with flowers. Daisy picked up a pink onesie embroidered with white roses and a green top printed with sunflowers. 

“I’m sensing a theme here. A daisy shirt once in a while is cute, but aren’t we going a bit overboard?”

“XiǎoLán picked them out,” May said, switching to Madeline’s Chinese name. “You are the one who named her after a flower.”

“Your parents helped.” Picking a baby name in English was difficult enough, Daisy and Lincoln didn’t want to come up with the Chinese name on their own. They consulted William and Lian, who pointed out that the surname May was a type of flower, one which was traditionally grouped with daisy, orchid, and bamboo in Chinese art. Choosing orchid, or Lán, for their first daughter felt appropriate. 

“Baby!” Maddie said. “Baby. Huā.”

“You think the baby will like flowers too?” Daisy asked. She couldn’t say no to Maddie’s answering smile. “How about we get some with flowers, and some with other stuff like birds or fish? Baby might like those too.”

Maddie furrowed her brow, then nodded in solemn toddler fashion. May and Daisy exchanged a smile before going through the basket. Anything that hindered movement went first, followed by impractical designs. White lace and tiny pearl buttons did not belong on an everyday baby onesie, no matter how cute. Maddie pointed at more baby clothes for them to consider, and soon the basket was almost full again. 

Daisy went back to the checkout counter. The staff had placed the stroller aside while she shopped. Daisy placed the new purchases inside the stroller and turned towards her daughter. 

“Want to hop in, Maddie?”

“No!” The toddler crossed her arms emphatically. “Walk.”

“I will walk with her,” May said. “You go ahead. We will be right behind you.”

“Thanks.” Maddie was a sweet child, but she’s also in the midst of terrible twos and eager to prove that she could do anything she set her mind to. Actually, that might be more than a temporary phase. Neither Lincoln nor Daisy was known for giving up easily. “See you back at the car.”

Daisy pushed the stroller to her minivan. After a quick glance around the empty parking lot, she quaked it up and into the vehicle. The baby kicked. 

“Shh.” Daisy placed a hand over her belly. She had been worried about using her powers during pregnancy at first, but Lincoln promised that she and the baby would be fine, and Maddie was born perfectly healthy. “You’re getting big. Mommy can’t exactly bend down and lift anymore.” 

The baby wiggled, but the movement was gentler. Daisy sat down in the minivan, savoring the moment. She loved the family she had built, first with the team, then with Lincoln, and now with all of their children. A busy work schedule and a full home life meant she didn’t always have time to simply sit and relax though. Now she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, feeling the baby move. 

“You have so many people who love you already,” Daisy said out loud. “And now you’re going to be one well dressed baby too.”

* * *

  
  
  


May and Daisy took Maddie out to lunch, followed by ice cream in the park. Daisy shook her head as she watched May wipe the melting mess off Maddie’s chin. 

“I’ve always thought you would be the no-nonsense, strict curfew type of mom, but I never realized you are the grandma that buys way too much ice cream and extra cute outfits.”

“It was the smallest sized cup in the store,” May said. “And we went through the baby clothes together.”

“You sent me out to the car first.” Daisy raised an eyebrow at the woman who trained her in spycraft. “I bet there’s an extra bag in the car now that has matching shirts for Maddie and the baby.”

May smirked without answering. Instead, she helped Maddie down from the bench. They strolled around the park to let Maddie run off some energy. Daisy walked at a leisurely pace, knowing May was also watching Maddie before she could head into danger. 

“You alright?” May asked. 

“Yup, just enjoying that I don’t have to run or jump off somewhere for once,” Daisy said. “I’m in the waddling stage now. Have you ever heard of a superhero who waddles?”

“You’re a superhero who has a life outside of saving the world,” May said. “That’s important.”

“I know.” For a long time, she didn’t allow herself to imagine having such a life. Now, it was the most natural thing in the world. 

It was nap time when they drove back to the house. Maddie was fast asleep in her car seat when they arrived home. Lincoln opened the minivan doors and grinned. 

“I’ll carry her in. Did you have a nice time?”

“We did,” Daisy answered. “Damian and Josie?”

“In the kitchen with Coulson.”

Daisy and May carried the shopping bags into the kitchen, where Coulson was entertaining the kids with history trivia. The flower from Maddie stayed above his ear. 

Josie turned to May immediately, “PóPó! Did you know that S.H.I.E.L.D. had airborne command stations back in the 80s? It’s smaller than the Zephyr and can’t stay in the air as long, but isn’t that cool? All the way back in the 80s?”

“The 80s wasn’t that long ago,” May said drily. “And yes, I do know. I flew a modified one later on. That’s when I met Daisy.” 

“Really?” 

They were talking about Daisy’s early days with S.H.I.E.L.D. when Lincoln came back. He walked over to her chair and laid a kiss on her hair. 

“Maddie’s out cold. Didn’t even wake up when I put her down in the crib. You must have tired her out.”

“She liked chasing squirrels with PóPó.” Daisy leaned into him. “Thanks again for coming with us, May.”

“You haven’t opened your gift yet.” May slid a bag towards them. “Go on.”

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. Daisy explained as she opened the bag, “May bought stuff when I wasn’t looking, I’m betting it’s matching outfits for the kids… oh my god,” —Daisy unfolded the first shirt, then another— “May, you didn’t.”

“She did.” Lincoln counted the number of shirts. “Two adult sizes. A baby onesie. A toddler version. Shirts in Damian and Josie’s sizes. Few more for Elijah and the others.”

“Elijah might change his mind about coming home for the summer if he sees this,” Daisy stared at the bright cartoon design. “I didn’t even know this is a thing. When is Pikachu in the middle of an earthquake? And why is he smiling?”

“It’s from the latest episode!” Damian and Josie chimed in. 

Lincoln wrapped an arm around Daisy, “Is it a good thing or a bad thing?” 

Daisy turned to look at him. Her friend, lover, husband. The one she built a family with. 

“Good. Definitely a good thing.”

“You will all look adorable. Perfect for the Christmas card photo!” Coulson said. 

Lincoln and Daisy exchanged a look. They grinned at May. 

“You know, a family photo should really include the grandparents too…”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> \- In Chinese tradition, giving a child the exact same name as a family elder is considered an insult. Daisy and Lincoln want to honor May somehow in naming their first child, so they went to William and Lian for advice. In Chinese art there is “four gentlemen” or four types of plants that are often depicted together, 梅蘭菊竹. The first, 梅 or prunus mume, is literally May’s last name. 菊 is chrysanthemum, but Daisy in Chinese is 雛菊 and they are in the same asteraceae family of plants. Willian/Lian therefore suggests using 蘭 (orchid, pronounced “lan”) or 竹 (bamboo, pronounced “zhu”) for the child. Daisy and Lincoln went with Madeline in English (pronounced with a “-line” as the ending syllable instead of “-lyn”) and 蘭 as the Chinese name for their daughter. Madeline is also one character short of an anagram for Melinda :) 
> 
> \- PóPó 婆婆 means grandmother. Huā 花 means flower. Based on unscientific personal observations, a child raised multilingual from birth with One Person One Language approach will know by age 2 to use different languages with different adults. Maddie speaks Mandarin with May and English with everyone else, but she will use occasional Mandarin words with Daisy when “huā” is easier to say than “flower” and she knows Daisy will understand anyway. 
> 
> \- Look, there is no image of Pikachu frolicking around in an earthquake that I know of, but I don’t find Vibrava cute and I need something ridiculous for matching family outfits. If anyone has a cute Pokemon suggestion for Daisy, please let me know because I can’t stop myself from making baby Pikachu jokes.


End file.
